ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish military officials Friday said they have ended military operations in northern Iraq against rebel Workers Party of Kurdistan targets.

Troops have begun withdrawing from the area after the week-long ground operation targeting the PKK, as the rebel organization also is known, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported.

The Turkish withdrawal comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President George Bush called for a quick end to the cross-border incursion that began Feb. 21. Baghdad had condemned the attack, saying it infringed on Iraq's sovereignty.

The Turkish Army reported 27 soldiers and 237 PKK rebels died during the operation

Fighting between Turkish authorities and the PKK has killed about 37,000 people since it erupted in 1984. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.